ROAST ::

July 17/18. It’s been rather cloudy recently, but I gambled on a few clear hours with a scheduled session for a couple of new objects. First was the Fireworks Galaxy, NGC 6946, between Cepheus and Cygnus:

This galaxy is small and rather faint, but is interesting because of the number of supernovae that have been seen in it, ten since 1917 (hence the name). Some high haze has limited the details visible.

The group of stars at the top is NGC 6939, aka the Flying Geese Cluster.

Details:
Target: Fireworks Galaxy (NGC 6946)
Time: 2026-07-17 22:52..00:59
Equipment: Dwarf Mini, Astro filter, perfect EQ
Integration: 1hr 56mins (116×60secs, +1 failure), gain 60
Conditions: Clear but hazy, Bortle 6
Processing: PhotoDesk equalisation, gamma

Next up is the Soul Nebula in Cassiopeia. This was scheduled to run from 1:10am to 03:30, but at about 02:40 the clouds rolled in; hence the large number of failures.

Details:
Target: Soul Nebula (Westerhout 5, Sh-2 199, LBN 667)
Time: 2026-07-18 01:10..03:30
Equipment: Dwarf Mini, Duo-Band filter, perfect EQ
Integration: 1hr 24mins (84×60secs, +45 failures), gain 60
Conditions: Hazy, then cloudy, Bortle 6
Processing: PhotoDesk equalisation, gamma

And so to bed…